Judith LeClair (born 1958), from

Newark, Delaware Newark ( )Not as in Newark, New Jersey. is a city in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. It is located west-southwest of Wilmington. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 31,454. The University of Delaware is ...

, is an American

bassoon The bassoon is a musical instrument in the woodwind family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuosity ...

ist. She is the principal bassoonist in the

New York Philharmonic The New York Philharmonic is an American symphony orchestra based in New York City. Known officially as the ''Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc.'', and globally known as the ''New York Philharmonic Orchestra'' (NYPO) or the ''New Yo ...

since 1981 and on faculty at the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a Private university, private performing arts music school, conservatory in New York City. Founded by Frank Damrosch as the Institute of Musical Art in 1905, the school later added dance and drama programs and became ...

since 1985. LeClair began studying the instrument at age 11 and began her professional career at the age of 15 in a performance with the

Philadelphia Orchestra The Philadelphia Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra, based in Philadelphia. One of the " Big Five" American orchestras, the orchestra is based at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, where it performs its subscription concerts, n ...

playing the Mozart Sinfonia Concertante with colleagues from the

Settlement Music School Settlement Music School is a community music school with branches in and around Philadelphia. Founded in 1908 by two young women, Jeannette Selig Frank and Blanche Wolf Kohn, it is the largest community school of the arts in the United States. I ...

in Philadelphia, where she studied with Shirley Curtiss. She studied bassoon with K. David Van Hoesen at the

Eastman School of Music The Eastman School of Music is the music school of the University of Rochester, a private research university in Rochester, New York, United States. Established in 1921 by celebrated industrialist and philanthropist George Eastman, it was the ...

and won the position of principal bassoon with the

San Diego Symphony The San Diego Symphony is an American symphony orchestra based in San Diego, California. The orchestra performs at Jacobs Music Center and the Rady Shell at Jacobs Park. It serves as the orchestra for the San Diego Opera. History On December 6, ...

shortly after her graduation from Eastman, acting in this position from 1979-1981.

John Williams John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (November 15, 2022)Classic Connection review, ''WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who w ...

' bassoon

concerto A concerto (; plural ''concertos'', or ''concerti'' from the Italian plural) is, from the late Baroque era, mostly understood as an instrumental composition, written for one or more soloists accompanied by an orchestra or other ensemble. The ...

, '' The Five Sacred Trees'', was written for LeClair and her "unparalleled artistry." She premiered it in April 1995 as part of the New York Philharmonic's 150th anniversary festivities after having chosen him to receive the commission for the piece. Her primary instrument is Heckel bassoon #8093. Her first teacher, a student, owned the bassoon; after he died in an accident at the age of 19, LeClair's parents bought the instrument from the boy's family. In addition to her orchestral career, LeClair is also an active chamber musician and has taught numerous

masterclass Yanka Industries, Inc., doing business as MasterClass, is an American online education subscription platform on which students can access tutorials and lectures pre-recorded by experts in various fields. The concept for MasterClass was conceiv ...

es. She is married to pianist Jonathan Feldman, who is the former head of the collaborative piano department at Juilliard, where he currently teaches. She gave birth to son Gabriel at age 41. They currently live in

Haworth, New Jersey Haworth ( ) is a borough in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 3,343, a decrease of 39 (−1.2%) from the 2010 census count of 3,382, which in turn reflected a decl ...

.Potter, Beth
"Haworth's Notable Characters"

. Accessed June 22, 2010.

Selected discography

*''New York Legends'' (Cala Records, 1997) *''The Five Sacred Trees'' (Sony Classical, 1997) *''First Chairs: Cantos for Solo Instruments'', "Canto XII" (Albany Records, 1998)

References

External links

New York Philharmonic: Judith LeClairLive From Lincoln Center - Interview with Judith LeclairJudith LeClair premieres John Williams' bassoon concerto with the New York Philharmonic
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leclair, Judith 1958 births Living people American classical bassoonists Juilliard School faculty Musicians from Delaware People from Haworth, New Jersey People from Newark, Delaware Educators from New Jersey American women educators Classical musicians from New York (state) Classical musicians from New Jersey 21st-century American women musicians Musicians from Bergen County, New Jersey